Tsotsi is an angry young gang leader in the South African township of Sophiatown. A man without a past, he exists only to kill and steal. But one night, in a moonlit grove of bluegum trees, a woman he attempts to rape forces a shoebox into his arms. The box contains a baby, and his life is inexorably changed. He begins to remember his childhood, to rediscover himself and his capacity for love. Turned into an Oscar-winning movie in 2006, Tsotsi’s raw power and rare humanity show how decency and compassion can survive against the odds.

More information at http://www.meetatthegate.com/component/option,com_author_book/edition_id,1027/title_id,757/

Thank you for sending me this book Canongate :)

As this story unfolds Tsotsi goes from an insular angry man to a man who begins living again, to begin feeling and thinking and remembering. And he seems startled and surprised at the emotions he feels.

I found the story interesting. The description of the divide between white and black in South Africa at the time was depicted really well, both in physical location and expectancy in response from police and life expectations.

I remember seeing the film a few years ago and enjoying it. I would like to see the film again to see how all the internal thinking and the emotional growth of Tsotsi was translated to the big screen.

And at the end I'm left pondering what would have happened if things had worked out differently? Would Tsotsi embrace fully his new found outlook on life, go back to being a street thug, set up a family life?

This film was being shown on my flight from London to New Zealand, so I was really excited and watched in some time during the first 11 hours,

There were some interesting differences between the book and the film. The basic premise was the same, a young thug with no feelings for himself or others comes across a very young baby. His interactions with the baby change his approach to others and life and he begins to feel and act human again.

The main difference was the language. The film is in two african dialects with english subtitles, the book is all in English. I liked the film being in african, the issues raised felt more realistic than if the characters had spoken english. Where the child came from was also different (in the movie the child is in the back of a stolen car), and the ending is...hollywood cop out is an overstatement, but no where near as bleak as the book.

I recommend reading the book and watching the film.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
I am passing this on to my mother. I think she will find it a very interesting book, if not overly enjoyable.

As my daughter suggested, I did find this interesting, but not enjoyable,However, it is my hope that changes in administration have improved the lot of young people in South Africa. Our problem is that we cannot be sure as we are so far away.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:





I will be releasing this at The Library bar where there will be a meet up of bookcrossers.
If you aren't familiar with Bookcrossing, take a few minutes to check out this very cool site. Bookcrossers LOVE books, and more than anything, they love to read books and then set them free for other people to find and enjoy. I would love it if you would leave a journal entry -- you can say where you found the book or how you liked it when you read it.